Rollout of the Blueprint for Reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act of 2006 to Transform CTE

Today, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and OVAE Assistant Secretary Brenda Dann-Messier are at Des Moines Area Community College in Iowa, unveiling Investing in America’s Future: A Blueprint for Transforming Career and Technical Education, the Department’s proposal for transforming CTE through the reauthorization of the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act, last reauthorized in 2006 (Perkins IV).

The blueprint was developed by the Department of Education in alignment with the president’s 2020 goal of having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world. Under OVAE’s direction, the blueprint incorporates feedback from 14 offices across the Department and more than 500 educators, business and community leaders, parents and students from around the country. If implemented, it would usher in a new era of rigorous, relevant and results-driven CTE shaped by four core principles:

Alignment. Effective alignment between high-quality CTE programs and labor market needs to equip students with 21st-century skills and prepare them for in-demand occupations in high-growth industry sectors;

Collaboration. Strong collaborative efforts among secondary and postsecondary institutions, employers, and industry partners to improve the quality of CTE programs;

Accountability. Meaningful accountability for improving academic outcomes and building technical and employability skills in CTE programs for all students, based upon common definitions and clear metrics for performance; and

Innovation. Increased emphasis on innovation supported by systemic reform of state policies and practices to support CTE implementation of effective practices at the local level.

The goal, as President Obama recently announced, is an economy built to last. The blueprint proposes the ingredients for achieving that goal: Educated citizens. Skilled workers. Competitive business. Thriving industries.